e_spacefandomcom-20200215-history
Business Plan
E-Space Business Plan as Submitted to Companies House Nature The E-Space Project was established as a limited company by guarantee in February of 2011, with the stated aim of: "To create and operate a social environment for subscribers to engage in artistic and educational activities involving electronics, software and other technological media." Our core obectives are: *To sustainably create funding from subscriptions, donations, grants, sales of appropriate materials and the running of workshops. *To use the generated funds to lease or purchase a workshop and social space, for subscribers to engage in individual and group activities. A "hackerspace." *To enable and encourage the development of technological skills both basic and advanced in our subscribers and visitors. *To achieve the above in an ethical and community-oriented manner respecting both the natural environment and the people on whom the hackerspace depends. Our aim is to establish the space and have it fully operational by December 2011.'' (This target was acheived, although that lab has since been shut down due to funding limitations.)'' Income We are initially expecting an average income of around £10-£15 pounds per person per month. This will determine the size of the hackerspace. With an income of between £300 and £450 per month, income will be sufficient to create and operate a basic space in a small industrial or shared retail property. Further expansion will be funded using workshop-derived revenue and through increasing subscription numbers. Growth The space currently has a core of approximately ten active volunteers and around thirty total interested parties, as seen by subscription to the mailing list. We expect an increase of two to three times through the workshops, and a further increase at the successful establishment of the space. Persistent advertising will help overcome the outward flow of people, with a steady 30+ active subscribers targeted. Source of income Core income will be derived from subscription. Subscriptions will be required for access to facilities and voting rights. The minimum subscription will be £5 monthly to gain membership, although the requested fee level will be £15 monthly, and there will be no upper bound. Secondary income will be through the running of lectures and workshops. These will be targeted to both subscribers and the general public, and will focus on a variety of technological subjects. The cost of these workshops will include the costs of any materials required for the workshop, however will also include a subsidy for the hackerspace. These will initially be held in pre-existing community centres but will also be held in the hackerspace after it opens. Bonus income will be from donation and vending. In addition to the workshop fees, donation boxes will be left at the space and used at workshops to solicit further income. Vending is also being considered to provide income through the supply of refreshments, materials and tools at the space. Number of employees As a community group, E-Space will be run by volunteers led by the director team. We will not be employing any staff for the forseeable future. Additional information E-Space will enagage with the public and local community through group installations and art projects. This has been demonstrated effectively by the 'Blinkenlights' splinter group in Germany, and the state funded 'metalab' in Vienna. Research is also being done into hosting or co-hosting conferences or events. Category:Corporate